Storage Help (NAS+Media Streaming+RAID+Automatic Backup)

Aloise wrote:
1. Is there a problem to use a 516 for DATA and 314 for BACKUP?

No, except that you can store more data on the 516 than the 314 can hold.

Aloise wrote:
3. Is RAID6 the best option for DATA NAS in terms of safety+reliability+speed?

Yes.

Aloise wrote:
4. Considering NOT to use RAID on my BACKUP NAS. Is there any setup other than JBOD (Just a Bunch Of Disks) that I could use?

You could use RAID0, which joins all the disks into a single array. It won't be automatically expandable like a RAID5 or RAID6 array, though, and if any one drive fails, the entire array will be unusable.

Aloise wrote:

5. Finally, ST3000NM0033 (Seagate Constellation ES.3 3TB 7200 RPM 128MB cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5 internal hard drive) seams to be a great option in terms of enterprise class SATA HDD. I've read previous comments about SSDs but in case I go SATA, do you agree it's a good choice? 6. I've checked Netgear compatibility List and found that ST3000NM0033 nor any other SATA HDD with 128Mb of cache appears there... I'm thinking of sending an email to their support to check this out as the list seams not to be updated for a while...

Six of those drives in RAID6 will give you 12TB of storage for around $1680, or $140/TB.

Six of the NAS-rated ST4000VN000 drives in RAID6 will give you 16TB of storage for $1020, or $64/TB; if you only want 12TB, you can get that with five ST4000VN000s in RAID6 for $850, or $71/TB (or, since you'll have a backup NAS, you might even want to do it with four ST4000VN000s in a RAID5 array for $680, or $56/TB).

The ST4000VN000s run cooler, run quieter, and use less power than the ES drives. They're faster than your gigabit Ethernet, so you won't see any measurable difference in data-access speed versus the ES drives, and you can use the money you save to buy 100 octane race gas for your car.